Battle of Mons Lactarius

The Battle of Mons Lactarius (also known as Battle of the Vesuvius) took place in 552 or 553 AD during the Gothic War (535–554) between Byzantine forces and the Ostrogoths (Goths) near Mount Vesuvius in Italy.

Battle of Mons Lactarius
Part of the Gothic War
Battle on the slopes of the Mount Vesuvius. Depiction by Alexander Zick, 1890.
Date October 552 or early 553 Location Monti Lattari, Campania, Italy Result Byzantine victory
Belligerents
Byzantine Empire	Ostrogothic Kingdom
Commanders and leaders
Narses	Teia †
Strength
(max) 20,000 Byzantines 5,500 Lombard allies 3,000 Heruls 400 Gepids	Unknown (Smaller force)

Byzantine forces, led by General Narses confronted the army of the Gothic King Teias in the rugged terrain near Mount Vesuvius. After two months of stalemate, the two sides finally engaged in open battle. Teias was killed in the fighting, marking the collapse of Gothic leadership. The remaining Gothic troops resisted for a short time but ultimately surrendered under negotiated terms. This victory ended Gothic power on the Italian peninsula, allowing the Byzantines to reestablish their authority there.

Prelude

After the Battle of Taginae, in which the Goth King Totila was killed, Narses proceeded towards Rome, seizing in the process Narni and Spoleto. The city of Rome was recaptured without difficulty, and he continued to besiege Cumae.

In response Teias, the new Gothic king and former second-in-command, gathered the remnants of the Gothic army. Teias sent envoys to the Franks in hopes of forming an alliance against the Byzantines, but the Franks refused, preferring to let the Goths and Romans wear each other down, which would ease their own eventual conquest of Italy. Upon learning that Narses had laid siege to Cumae, Teias marched to break the siege, because Totila's hoard was stored in Cumae. In response, Narses moved his army to block Teias near Mount Vesuvius.

Battle

Upon arrival, Teias positioned himself at the foot of Mount Vesuvius, near the site of Pompeii, on the left bank of the Sarno. The Byzantines and Goths stood across a small stream for two months, with only minor skirmishes between them and single combat at the only bridge over the stream. The Goths had camped near the bridge of the stream and erected towers with ballistas. However, the Byzantines were able to cut off Goths supplies, forcing Teias to take action as his army would face starvation.

The Goths withdrew from their initial position towards Mount Lactarius, where they lured the Byzantine army into rough terrain. At this location, they launched a surprise attack that took place on 1 or 30 October, with the Byzantines holding their ground. Both armies dismounted, due to the terrain, and adopted a deep phalanx formation. Teias led his forces to attack the Byzantine lines, but Goths could not break through them. The Byzantine troops attempted several times to kill Teias with throwing spears, only for Teias's comrades to resupply him with new shields. After several attempts, Teias died in the fight. Teias's head was taken by the Byzantine soliders and fixed on a stake to discourage the Goths from fighting. The Gothic troops continued to fight for another two days. In the end, they sent an envoy to negotiate their surrender. The Byzantines, wary of the Goths' fierce resistance, sought to avoid a prolonged battle and agreed to terms under strict conditions.

Aftermath

The Gothic survivors were released under the oath to leave Italy, taking with them only their personal money and movable property, deposited in various fortresses in Italy as traveling funds. The battle marked the end of the ostrogoths in the Italian peninsula. A thousand Goths under the leadership of Indulf broke away from the agreement and resisted along with other Goth leaders, Aligern (Teias's brother) in Cumae and Ragnaris in Conza della Campania. The Goths failed to appoint a new king, which exposed the fragility of their remaining power. Narses quickly captured a number of cities that lacked Goth garrisons, including Florence, Centumcellae, Volaterrae, and Pisa.

The defeat of the Goths, triggered another request from the Goths north of the River Po to the Franks to intervene. A 75,000-strong Frankish army, under Alamannic dukes Lothar and Buccelin, moved south to Italy in the following year. While the Franks outnumbered the Byzantines, the Byzantines had better supplies and fortifications. In October 554, Narses defeated the Franks in the Battle of Volturno, eliminating them as a threat. The remaining cities in Italy under the Goths started to fall, notable cities were Campsa in 555 and Verona in 561.

See also

• Byzantine Empire portal

Footnotes

Notes

1. These numbers are based on Narses's army before invading Ostrogoth's territories in Italian peninsula, so at the battle these numbers should be lower.
2. The primary source by Procopius claims that a javelin ("ἀκοντίῳ") pierced him and killed him instantly.

References

1. Hughes 2014, p. 233.
2. Syvänne 2021, pp. 344–345.
3. Syvänne 2021, p. 344.
4. Lin 2021, p. 407.
5. Hodgkin 1896, pp. 651–652.
6. Syvänne 2021, p. 345.
7. Hodgkin 1896, p. 653.
8. Syvänne 2021, p. 346.
9. Hodgkin 1896, p. 654.
10. Prokopios, Book VII part xxxv.
11. Hodgkin 1896, p. 656.
12. Heather 2014, pp. 165–166.
13. Burns 1991, p. 215.
14. Syvänne 2021, p. 347.
15. Syvänne 2021, pp. 346–353.
16. Hughes 2014, p. 234.

Sources

Primary

• Prokopios (1928) [c. 545–553]. The Wars of Justinian. Vol. VII & VIII. Translated by Dewing, H. B. London: William Heinmann Ltd.

Secondary

• Burns, Thomas (1991). A History of the Ostrogoths. Bloomington; Indianapolis: Indiana University Press. ISBN 978-0-25320-600-8.
• Hodgkin, Thomas (1896). Italy and Her Invaders: The imperial restoration, 535–553. Clarendon Press.
• Heather, Peter (2014). The Restoration of Rome, Barbarian Popes and Imperial Pretenders. Oxford: Oxford University Press. ISBN 9780199368532.
• Hughes, Ian (2014). Belisarius: the last Roman general. Barnsley. ISBN 978-1-4738-2297-9. OCLC 903161296.{{cite book}}: CS1 maint: location missing publisher (link)
• Lin, S. (2021). "Justinian's Frankish War, 552–c. 560" (PDF). Studies in Late Antiquity. 5 (3): 403–431. doi:10.1525/sla.2021.5.3.403.
• Syvänne, Ilkka (2021). Military History of Late Rome 518–565. Pen and Sword Military. ISBN 978-1-4738-9530-0.